


Just Like Clockwork

by SpacialTangent



Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls Online
Genre: Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Seht has empathy issues, Spoilers, seht is a sweet guy, slight AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-19
Updated: 2018-06-15
Packaged: 2019-02-04 05:38:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12764280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpacialTangent/pseuds/SpacialTangent
Summary: After shutting down the Assembly General in the Halls of Fabrication, the Vestige catches the attention of a reclusive god.





	1. Abberation

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for having been dead for a while, I got busy with life. Story takes place a little while before the Clockwork City main quest line, but it may eventually come into play. I tried to make everything as lore friendly as possible, but I’ve got some different interpretations of the characters and events.  
> Also, spoilers abound. You’ve been warned.

Chapter 1: Abberation

The high vaulted Halls of Fabrication seemed to stretch out for miles, creating a sky of curved beams and supports above Erlea and her fellow Undaunted. There were odd organic pockets between the machinery and metal in the cave that bled in from the Halls proper, harboring some of Morrowind's familiar flora and fauna. It was surreal, she thought, watching an ordinary pony guar scurry away as she drove her sword into a nix-hound construct. These clockwork creatures were so much more advanced and far deadlier than the mechanisms she'd encountered in Dwemer ruins. She wished that they weren't so hostile so she could just stay and observe them working. Ultimately, she was content with picking up some small gears or some pieces of scrap metal from a few of the beasts. She had to wait to take a closer look at her loot until her weary party sat down for a break on a rocky outcropping.  


The half Dunmer took a bite out of a sweetroll she'd brought along on the raid and started to examine an arm she took from one of the venomous fabricants. It had a nasty blade in place of a hand which she had been on the receiving end of only minutes before, but the arm structure was otherwise much like a clannfear's. Erlea marveled at all the intricate joints that moved in unison with each other to sweep in smooth, wide arcs. She figured that she could make a good sword out of the sharp parts.  


A small dragonfly landed on her shoulder to watch her while she was busy inspecting the rest of the parts she'd scavenged. As she went to shoo it away, she noticed that it was mechanical as well. It was even more beautiful than the larger factotums, with its thin bronze wings and a crimson soul gem fragment cradled in its thorax. The metal insect was much too delicate to have been mass manufactured. "Did Seht make you?" Erlea murmured, holding out a finger in greeting. It nudged her nail a little with its head in response before it fluttered away.  


A good while later, everyone stumbled back out of the rift. The constructor had been shut off, and no more fabricants would be flooding Tel Fyr for a while. She was sure that more would eventually come to take their place. She supposed that if Divyath wanted a more permanent fix, he'd have to stop messing around with portals or move someplace else before it became a weekly occurrence. Erlea trudged outside, her tired eyes being greeted by the twin moons in the night sky. They must have spent the better part of the day fighting off Sotha Sil's haywire contraptions.  


She set up camp on one of the islets that were scattered about Azura's Coast, tying her horse to a mushroom to let him graze. She started a fire and put up her tent before she grabbed her fishing pole to catch dinner. She loved the moments she had alone in the wilderness with only the stars and her own thoughts to keep her company. She soon caught a few sailfins which she cooked along with some salt rice and seasoning. She was just about to open a book for a little reading before bed when she saw a figure next to her out of the corner of her eye.  


She whipped around with a hand on her weapon to find a strange dark elf sitting on the ground with his legs crossed. He had white hair that went down a little ways past his shoulders, and he was dressed in simple robes that resembled the color of sea foam and storm. He wore an odd trident-like helm that obscured half of his face. The figure turned toward her and raised a hand as if to say "wait" when he saw her draw her sword. His palm gleamed in the firelight, making her realize that his entire right arm was mechanical. "If you plan on robbing me, this won't end well for you." She hissed. He frowned and shook his head. "I am not here to harm you, my little philomath. I saw you today, wandering in my abandoned halls. Not many have been able to set foot in my city like that."  


Erlea was at a loss for words. "I... what?" She'd never been one to believe in deities. Even the physical living gods of the Tribunal like Vivec were extremely suspect to her with their questionable motives, and yet the long absent Sorcerer had appeared and decided to take an interest in her. "Why?"  


"Ah... why. The most magnificent of all questions." He mused, folding his hands, flesh intertwining with alloy. She could clearly hear the odd metallic drawl to his voice, with each of his words carrying the soft chiming of bells. "The beginning of all great discoveries start with why. You wonder why? Because you aren't like the others there, in more ways than one. Of all those who entered, yours was the brightest mind. Your clever fingers dared to pick apart my machines and investigate them with such awe and chaotic fervor, the likes of which I have not seen in quite a long time. It was a simple act, yes, but it has moved me deeply. Now, I do not believe we have been properly introduced. I am Sotha Sil."  


"Uh, I'm Erlea. Nice to meet you." She had no idea what she would even say to someone like him, a supposed god. He did seem pleased with her somewhat plebeian response. "Well met, Erlea. You do not drop to your knees, nor do you speak the honeyed falsehoods of adoration like the followers of Ayem or Vehk. I did not think mortals could surprise me any more."  


"Should I be insulted or flattered?" She asked, feeling her face flush. "That is your decision and yours alone." He replied. Erlea had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. Seht spoke in riddles and twisted his meanings, as was to be expected. "Okay then... do you want some fish or something? It's still hot."  


Sotha Sil lost his distant demeanor for a moment and gave her a confused look. She certainly was a strange mortal. He always knew what they would do next, like the sequence of cogs turning in a mechanism, but that was not the case with Erlea. It was as if she didn't truly exist in the universe as he knew it, with each person and object and living thing having a specific texture in the fabric of the world. That was the more important reason that he picked her out from the crowd. He didn't know what her future would be. In fact, he couldn't ascertain a single thing about her. He never even bothered to ask his apostles for their names, since he already knew them long before they entered his city. He knew when each of them would die... This woman was just a fuzzy golden static in memory and time. She must be the gear that turned in spite of the others, either jamming the system entirely or opening a new pathway that slipped by a mechanic's watchful eye. Vulgar chaos or sweet serendipity, depending on the day. Such a thin line separated the two, between bane and boon. An uncertainty. A "maybe". That was what he needed, what he wanted so badly. Just by appearing to her, he had veered off the course of inevitability, at least for a little while. His eyes fluttered shut for a moment. It was ironic that he, the purveyor of order, would allow for such sin as discord and choice. Though after all his years, he was beginning to think otherwise. "Alright. Why not?"  


She nodded and handed him a skewered sailfin that she'd planned on having later if she got hungry. Though his body no longer required food, he still enjoyed eating from time to time. He scrutinized his meal before taking a tentative bite. It was good, the familiar taste of sea salt reminding him of his childhood in Ald Sotha. A small smile graced his usually stern face.  
The stars came out overhead as the night slowly grew darker. “They all had different names in my time.” He said, gesturing to the sky. “Do you know any Ayleidoon?”  


“A little. I’ve only had ancient half-translated tablets to go off of.” She responded, turning her gaze upward. “Ah, very good. Chimeris was very similar in structure with many loanwords. It shouldn’t be too difficult to connect the two.” He pointed at the constellations above, teaching her the ancient names for each. Seht unconsciously rested his organic hand on hers. The warm sparks that ran through her nerves in response to his touch eventually settled pleasantly in her stomach. 

They sat for a while more by the fire, discussing all manner of things. The heavens, the ocean, the affairs of gods and men and mer, the Eternal Gears and the Clockwork City, all that has passed and what is yet to come. She eventually told him that she had her soul stolen by the King of Worms and that she the one who led the final charge against Molag Bal. He theorized that the qualities of her newly-returned soul had something to do with him being unable to know her future or her past intrinsically. The things that Daedra meddled with were always obscured by their unworldly power, which was both a blessing and a curse upon him. Though in this particular case, it seemed that it was the former. Could she be the Prisoner? He supposed be had to wait for the gears to align, until Ur-Dra invaded his realm. It was exhilarating, not knowing what would happen for once, though he did feel a stab of guilt for thinking this way. He took a second to look at her more closely. One could clearly see the mixture of angular Dunmer and softer Breton in the structure of her face and in the light grayish-tan tone of her skin. Her jet black hair was put back in a short pony tail, and her inquisitive green eyes made her stand out in the usual Vvardenfell sea of dark blue and red.  


They talked until the rosy light of dawn began to shine off of the waves and the fire had died down to smoldering coals. She even managed to make him laugh a few times. He missed having people to confer with and not know the outcomes of the discussion. It made him remember the times when he was a teacher instead of an absent god plagued by fate and omniscience. It felt like they had been old friends even though they just met. "Ah… damn it. You kept me up all night." Erlea yawned, rubbing her eyes. "Oh, my apologies. I've forgotten that mortals need to sleep much more. I must say you made for lovely conversation, though. Could we perhaps continue this at another time?"  


"Yeah, of course, but how am I going to find-?" She realized he'd disappeared halfway though her response. She though she had been hallucinating for a good few seconds before she saw a folded, yellowed piece of parchment in her lap with the same, though now dormant mechanized dragonfly gently placed on top of it. She picked up the tiny automaton and opened up the paper. It was what appeared to be a guide. The instructions were written in riddles and the map portion was marked in esoteric symbols. At the very bottom it read "These are for you. Your next test is to come find me in the Clockwork City. ~S.”


	2. Voyage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erlea pieces together the information she is given, and sets off towards the Clockwork City

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a shorter chapter this time, since it’s sort of a segue of sorts.

Erlea almost couldn't believe she'd just been drafted into a scavenger hunt to find a cryptic metropolis by Sotha Sil himself, but she reminded herself that she’d been through these kinds of bizarre and ocassionay horrifying situations before. Besides, this was an adventure, and she was always up for excitement. That could wait until she got some shuteye, though. Fighting through a horde of part clockwork creatures and then staying up the rest of the night chatting with a reclusive god could really exhaust a woman. She crawled into her tent and put the map and dragonfly into her rucksack to keep them safe before she got into her bedroll. She soon drifted off with furs clutched at her chest, completely drained from the previous day’s events. She saw visions of crystal skies circled by bright brass bands, towers of sallow stone that were adorned by many faceted metal filigrees, and deep obsidian rivers in her dreams. But it was so… lifeless. Every single thing was unnatural, even the trees were made of metal. It made her heart ache. Even deserts had hidden life.

When she awoke, the sun was at its zenith. “Well, no better time to start than now…” she murmured to herself, retrieving her gifts from her bag. She held the immobile dragonfly in cupped hands, wondering how to turn it on. It didn't seem to have any switches or levers or buttons. She ran a finger over its soul gem, admiring its beauty. To her surprise, the machine sputtered to life, hovering above her palm. She smiled. “Hey little guy, can I trust that you won't run away on me?”  


It flew onto her shoulder, giving her a few flutters of its wings as if the creature were confirming that it wouldn't ditch her. “Alright then. You need a name, don't you? How about… Mallari? It means “gold” in Ayleidoon.” Mallari chirruped happily in response to his new title. “Glad you like it. Let's get to work.”  


She spread the map out in front of her, trying to discern any possible landmarks she might recognize. There were a few roads and cryptic symbols, bordered by a large city like structure to the north. Another diagram inset looked to be a map of a cave and a strangely familiar looking structural layout. A few neat lines of text lie next to it.

Under dirt and chiseled stone,  
My Nirn-ensuing has slowly grown.  
The weeping city, as it is known,  
Has many secrets still not shown.

Seek ye out the ruins below,  
The remnants of brass and Dwemer old,  
Cradled in metal, smooth and bold,  
Such are the lures of the crow.

“Hm… ok, so “Nirn-ensuing” is under something. I assume that's his city… but what's the weeping city? There's a few locations that could fit that connotation, and I doubt it's located in any other realm. So there’d be Solitude, Evermore, Tear, and Mournhold… the last two make the most sense, since they're both in Morrowind and have the strongest associations with the word “weeping”. Between those two, it's more likely Seht would choose Mournhold, the Tribunal seat. Right underneath everyone's noses. “The ruins below... the remnants of brass and Dwemer old.” It would make sense that Mournhold is built on top of older structures, just like Stormhold in Shadowfen. I assume I have to be looking for Dwarven ruins, and a city “cradled in metal”... let’s try it.”

The next morning, she set off for the nearest wayshrine on horseback. She usually preferred walking or riding for the scenic views and places to explore along the way, but if she had to get somewhere quick she'd use the mysterious altars. She dismounted as she approached the glowing blue flames, teleporting the horse to the stables at Mournhold. Mallari kept pace with her the whole time, but she had to put him in her satchel again to make sure he didn't get lost during the trip. Erlea preformed the short casting ritual, and she was off.  


She and her clockwork companion arrived almost instantaneously, appearing at the corresponding shrine in the artisans’ district. She could hear the dragonfly buzzing around in her bag, and she had to shush him. “I know you want out, but we gotta keep a low profile, okay? Don't make me turn you off.”  


Mallari seemed to understand, going quiet. Erlea was fascinated by how it could process speech so accurately. “Thanks pal. We’ll be there soon, I hope. If all else fails I can go have a chat with Barilzar and get him to help me out. ” First, she went to the market to pick up supplies. She didn't know how long she would be down there or what she would encounter, so it was best to be prepared with plenty of food, repair kits, and other sundries like rope. She then set off towards the only underground entrance she knew of; the Outlaw’s Refuge. Besides being a good possible point of entry, she wanted to check if she could get ahold of a guide to the complex systems that ran beneath the Ebonheart capital. She'd been there a few times before to sell goods she’d “borrowed” that she couldn't otherwise move. She lifted up the inconspicuous covering and descended into the ruined temple now used as a hideout for criminals. She walked over to a fence that she knew fairly well, a Khajiiti woman named Ilanadezeh. “Ah! Hello, my friend. Making trouble, are we?”  


“Sort of.” Erlea replied with a sly grin. “I have to get somewhere, down here. Do you have any maps of the Mournhold underground?”  
The thief nodded, retrieving a set of papers marked with various tunnels and passageways overlaid on a city layout from a shelf. “Three hundred gold, please.” She purred. Erlea counted her coins and put them on the counter. “Thank you, these will help a lot.”  


“If this one may ask, where is it you are going?” Ilandezeh questioned, rubbing her clawed hands together. “Well... I don't want to say too much, but it involves a living god sending me on an expedition.”  


“Ooh, that sounds exciting. This one wishes that she could go on such adventures, but she must stay here to work. Maybe one day… May the bright moons light your path.”  


The two said goodbye to each other, and Erlea went to sit down and examine the maps. It seemed that there was an opening in the den through which she could access the rest of the tunnels and sewers. She then placed Sotha Sil’s map next to the one she got from Illandezeh. The inset and the new map were almost identical. The end point on the first corresponded to an unmarked area beneath the Tribunal Temple on the second. She put away her things and stood up, walking with purpose towards a large hole in one of the supporting walls.  


It was nearly pitch black in the subterranean network of channels. Erlea lit her lantern, which filled the space with a flickering golden light. Mallari was starting to get antsy in her satchel, so she took him out as well. “Stay close, it's pretty dark down here.” She told him, watching as the soul gem in his thorax let out a faint red glow. Hours slipped by as she explored the forgotten spaces beneath Mournhold, occasionally checking the maps to make sure she was headed in the right direction. The more she walked, the more her dragonfly’s gem shone. She could feel that she was getting close. Then, she saw it. It was a good sized gap in a natural wall, big enough for a person or two to fit though. She ducked in, holding the lamp out in front of her to show her the way.  


It wasn’t long before she reached the end of the rift. Her jaw dropped. She had entered into a huge cavern dotted with crumbling Dwemer towers standing in an underground lake, framed by massive stalagmites and stalactites that grew out from the cave stone. It was beautiful. She wandered over the wood scaffolding, which was surprisingly new. A few factotums like the ones she had seen in the Halls of Fabrication were working here and there, but they didn’t attack her. They must have been expecting her. She went across an old bridge, and there it was, housed in a large pavilion. She approached the structure to find a miniature world inside spinning circles within circles and gears within gears. The Clockwork City, in all of its glory. She did remember it from when she had to stop Clavicus Vile, but that time she didn’t figure out exactly where the realm was located. She took a deep breath and touched the globe, hoping that it wouldn’t drop her off in the labyrinthine maintenance tunnels again.


	3. Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erlea arrives in the Clockwork City and meets with Seht, as well as being set on the path to discovering the City’s darker side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally got around to another chapter. I never thought my works would get this much attention to be honest :) thank you for all the support.

She ended up at a strange spherical wayshrine in the middle of a crossroads. The land around her was so strange and entrancing, yet somehow disturbing. Layered stacks of stone arched in odd formations, occasionally meeting glimmering boulders that rose into high cliffs and dove into sheer canyons. Metallic grasses and trees in all species dotted the otherwise barren wastes. To the north lay a sprawling city, connected by bridges and pipes, all surrounding a massive tower rising up into the sky. “This is it.” She breathed in awe. Under the crystal clear sky, she started off toward the distant buildings, walking slowly and taking everything in. She did have to kill a few more fabricants on the way. Such strange things they were, not quite animal but not quite machines either. The crossed a long bridge over a ravine, gazing down at the marsh of oil and beryl cypresses. Erlea was so busy staring that she almost didn’t notice that she reached the gates, brass and stone creating high walls crisscrossed by catwalks. Waiting out by the side of the road was a woman dressed in bronze armor and crimson cloth that blocked her path.

 “Halt. I am Proctor Luciana Pullo, of the Clockwork Apostles. I don’t know how you breached the celestiodrome, but I won’t allow non-residents to go running around the Brass Fortress.” The half scarred, half mechanical woman barked. “Wait, wait. I was invited.”

“Ha! That’s a good one, but it isn’t fooling me.” Luciana snorted, folding her metal arms in front of her. “No, I can prove it. Sotha Sil gave these to me.” Erlea retaliated and pulled out the map and instructions, as well as Mallari, who was hovering behind her. The proctor took the documents and scrutinized them before she looked at the little dovah-fly.  
“This is definitely Lord Seht’s hand. Forgery of such a seldom seen thing is nigh impossible, especially to an exodromal, and then you’ve got your dragonfly buddy there. That’s His mark as well. They don’t just follow anybody, you know. Okay, I’ll let you in. You aren’t Tarnished since you have Seht’s invitation, but you aren’t a citizen yet either. You’ll have to find someone that’ll sponsor you first. And that won’t be me. Get along now, and behave yourself.” She gave Erlea a curt nod, letting her walk through the massive gilded gates of the Brass Fortress.

The inside of the city was just as fascinating and unnerving as the rest of Sil’s realm. White robed apostles with an assortment of robotic limbs bustled about their work, coexisting with factotums that landscaped and did most of the manual labor, along with some people in tattered clothes who she assumed were the Tarnished. She wandered up a stone ramp through a small marketplace where merchants plied their wares and androids sanitized the outsides of buildings with flame. Amethyst leaves hung from golden boughs of synthetic cherry trees, and she saw a little clockwork skeever roll discreetly across the road. She came up to an impressive hall connected to the citadel that looked over the fortress. “He has to be in there...” she decided, going up the steps while trying to ignore the feeling of the apostle guards’ eyes on her.

  
When Erlea stepped through the wide doors, she could hear a faint, familiar voice drift from a little ways down the empty metal corridors and work stations. She followed the sound, a knot of apprehension settling heavily in her stomach. It was a short walk to the end of the lobby, which split off into three antechambers. The noise was coming from the room straight back. She peered in to see lecture hall chock full of people. And there he was, tall and imposing, teaching at the front of the room. Not wanting to interrupt, Erlea took the closest vacant seat and listened. She took out a leather bound journal from her bag and tried to take as many notes as she could. He was speaking on tonal architecture, an ancient Dwemer way of mating magic and technology. She was able to make sense of most of it, but there were a few parts to his lesson that she wasn’t quite able to understand.  
After the class, she waited until everyone else asked their final questions and filed out of the room. Now it was just him, her, and the quiet whirring of machinery. “So, you made it here. Well done.” He remarked, smiling at her warmly. “What do you think of my realm?”  
“It’s... astounding, to say the least. It’s kind of strange that everything here is made of metal, but it is captivating in its own way. I didn’t see much of the city yet, though, since I came straight to find you.”

  
She saw his face light up. “That is very considerate of you. I could show you around, if you wish. I’ve been trying to be more... present, shall we say.”  
“I’d like that. It looks like it’d be easy to get lost here.” Erlea replied. “Not really.” Seht chuckled. “Every street is planned and precise on a grid system. It’s easier to understand once you see it.” The doors hissed open with a wave of his hand and she followed him back outside.

 She suddenly realized how out of place she was once apostles started staring at her, a short outsider in Ashlander armor strolling next to their god. Her dovahfly flitted around them happily, occasionally resting on either her or his creator’s shoulder. “We have everything here in the Basilica. It’s one of the only safe places in the city until we get the stray fabricants under control. There’s an inn for travelers where you can stay until you become a citizen, a bank, a market...”

 

“What’s down that way?” Erlea asked, pointing to an alleyway. “Slag Town, as the apostles have taken to calling it. It’s where the Tarnished live. They are non-citizens and those without purpose or jobs, but they are provided with the necessities of life.”

  
The nonchalance of his statement disturbed her. He talked about his citizens like they were simply gears in a machine. She wanted to know whether or not he understood that there was more to people than the sum of their functions, but she bit her lip and kept her mouth shut. She may have defeated the Daedric Lord of Domination and the King of Worms, but a Living Tribunal member could make Molag Bal and Mannimarco look like weaklings. He didn’t seem to pick up on the fact that she was upset. She supposed that it was to be expected, a man-god as cold as the metal he shaped. After a while more, the pair sat down on a carved stone ledge overlooking a pond of oil, where mechanical reeds stuck up from the murk and artificial dovahflies darted about. It helped to calm her a bit. Erlea looked up, trying to determine where whatever counted as a sun was in the sky. “What time is it?” She ended up asking.  
“It’s 3:24 exactly, but late afternoon in general. I... I did see that you were acting oddly earlier. I thought that it wouldn’t be right to bring it up as it happened, but would you like to talk about it?” So he did notice. “It just kind of bothered me the way you talked about the Tarnished. I’m better now, don’t worry.”  
   

“Alright. I apologize if I come off as callous. I do care for each and every person here, as much as I can, at least.“  
“What do you mean by that?” Erlea pressed. She was curious now as to what was going on in his head. “It’s very difficult to have empathy when you are omniscient. I know when they will all die.” He said with a hint of sadness in his metallic voice. Seht didn’t know why, but when he was with her, he felt himself open up a little more than he would normally. “D-do you know when I die?” She warbled, an existential dread creeping in. “That I do not know. Your soul has been touched by Molag Bal, and Daedric magic is obscured even to me.”  
 

“Oh good. I don’t really want to know that kind of information. It would cause me a lot of undue stress.” She laughed in relief. Sotha Sil nodded solemnly. “Ignorance is bliss, as the saying goes. I wish I could have that bliss as well, but it is my burden to bear. Is there anything else you’d like to know?”  
Erlea shook her head. “Not at the moment, but if I have any questions in the future, I’ll ask.”  
   

“Good. Questions are the road to knowledge. I’ll leave you be for now, since I’m sure you have plenty of things to do now that you’re here. I’m quite confident you can handle yourself, but if you need me, I’ll be around.” He gave her a slight, reserved smile before he walked off, leaving her with butterflies in her stomach and a myriad of possibilities.


End file.
